Column: Biggest food trends

Edward Weston, sales and marketing executive for Savanta, peers into a post-pandemic world...

As we race towards spring, it looks to be a year where normality has almost returned, at least at a Covid level. At Savanta, we’ve looked at the five biggest food and drink trends we expect to take shape as the year progresses.

The return to normality
Of course, the foreseen return to traditional hospitality stands as the biggest trend. Going into 2022, there was an optimistic buzz around the pandemic being finally behind us, and Savanta’s research has also found this sentiment. Almost twice as many consumers reported thinking they would eat out this coming winter versus last year.

Notably, there remains a pent-up need to reconnect with friends and family, and a desire to socialise. As consumers become less cautious and Covid subsides, it looks like 2022 should continue to be a bright year for the hospitality industry.

Restaurant delivery is king
The pandemic forced us all online from 2020 through to 2021, including the eating out industry with the rise of food delivery services. Data from BrandVue, our market intelligence platform, shows that pre-pandemic restaurant delivery accounted for less than 10% of eating out occasions. In 2021, this reached 50% of eating out occasions.

While we expect consumers to continue returning slowly to eating out in restaurants, demand for delivery aggregators such as Uber Eats has forever changed consumer habits and expectations. We expect this digital consumer behaviour to continue growing as we move into the new season.

The rise of ‘meatless’ meat
As the pandemic subsides, climate change seems to be moving into the forefront of everyone’s vision, in turn bleeding into consumer decision making. Brands and businesses will look to capitalise on the trend, as well as make meaningful changes to improve sustainability. Meatless alternatives in outlets such as Honest Burger, and more recently McDonald’s’ McPlanted, demonstrate this capitalisation.

In a recent survey, Savanta found half of eating out purchase decisions were influenced by the desire to be sustainable. This is understandably highest among the younger demographics. It is only a matter of time before further sustainability requirements hit the hospitality sector, so getting ahead (and tracing products to their origin) will be key for establishments.

The power of social media, especially TikTok
Over lockdown, we witnessed how prevalent social media has become in our lives. In that time, TikTok became the fastest social media app to over a billion users. Becoming the birthplace of ‘trends’, brands will start to leverage this platform more, with one viral video being able to generate millions of impressions.

Brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts have latched onto this platform, amassing over 3m account followers through partnerships with TikTok influencers. The new attention has aided conversion rates, with the brand witnessing a 45% rise in cold brew sales following these collaborations.

Draught cocktails
This year, we have seen the introduction of draught cocktails into the nation’s pubs and bars. The alcoholic drinks have been largely successful, providing a similar tasting experience, combined with a lower price and speedy service. As conglomerates the likes of Diageo step into the space, the market can expect to increase growth as the year progresses.

Although the pandemic looks to be over, the habits we have developed during it seem to be here to stay.

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